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Yeniseian
[ yen-uh-sey-uhn ]
noun
- a group of languages spoken in Siberia, the only surviving member of which is Ket.
Word History and Origins
Origin of Yeniseian1
Example Sentences
In a paper published in the journal PLoS One on Wednesday, they report their surprising finding that Na-Dene is not a descendant of Yeniseian, as would be expected if the Yeniseian speakers in Siberia were the source population of the Na-Dene migration.
In particular, he looked at Yeniseian and Na-Dene verbs, since languages in both groups have a template of fixed positions before and after the verb for specifying various attributes.
If Yeniseian represents a return migration from Beringia, the question of the source population in Siberia of Native Americans is thrust back into obscurity.
“If Yeniseian is off the table as a back-migration, there is no other candidate,” Dr. Sicoli said.
But in 2008, Edward Vajda, a linguist at Western Washington University, said he had documented a relationship between Yeniseian, a group of mostly extinct languages spoken along the Yenisei River in central Siberia, and Na-Dene.
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